The South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is where most tourists usually stay. Lots of hotels, from the fancy 5-stars like Copacabana Palace to hostels, are to be found in the neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, which also have three famous beaches, the latter two just being separated by the canal that drains the Lagoa into the sea.

A little closer to downtown, the Gloria, Catete, Botafogo, and Flamengo neighborhoods are pleasant and full of Carioca character.

Get in

Most parts of the Zona Sul are easily accessible by bus or metro from Centro or Zona Norte. Line 1 of the subway runs from the Zona Norte and Centro through most of the main neighborhoods of Zona Sul, as far as Praça General Osório at the east end of Ipanema.

Get around

By metrô

Line 1 services the Zona Sul as far west as Ipanema. The stops are:

Praça General Osório (in Ipanema) - for Ipanema Beach and Arpoador, and buses to other parts of Ipanema, Leblon, and Gávea

Cantagalo (in Copacabana) - for Arpoador and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon ("Lagoa")

Largo do Machado (in Laranjeiras) - connection (integração) for a bus to the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado

Catete - for the Museum of the Republic

Glória - for Nossa Senhora da Glória church

By bicycle

In the end of 2011 with Bike Rio[1] a rental service with 600 bicycles at about 60 stations was launched. A monthly ticket costs R$10 and the 24 hour ticket $R5, where trips up to 30 min are for free. Every further hour costs $R5. You need to register in their website prior to use.

See

Sugar Loaf by night

Arpoador. The rocks at the Copacabana end of Ipanema beach. From here you can see Corcovado, the Sugar Loaf and much more. It is supposed to be the best place to watch the sunset from in Rio. Reputedly a bit dangerous so go there at weekends when there are lots of people and a few police around.

Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico), Jardim Botânico, ☎21 3874-1808, [2]. Daily, 8AM-5PM. Planted in the 1800s, it is both a park and a scientific laboratory. It contains a huge collection of plants from all over the world, not only tropical ones. If you take the bus note that Jardim Botanico is also the name of a neighborhood and the road on which it is found so make sure you go all the way to the entrance. The gardens are well kept and very lush. Not far from the cafe, you are likely to hear swooshing sounds. Look up and you can see small monkeys swinging from tree to tree.$4.

Corcovado and Cristo Redentor, Rua Cosme Velho, 513 (Accessible only by Corcovado Tram from Cosme Velho, or by taxi), ☎(21) 25581329, [3]. Tram 8.30AM-7.00PM, leaving every 30 min. Capped by the 38m statue of Jesus Christ (Cristo Redentor), Corcovado has been the vantage point for countless picture postcards and travel posters through the ages. It provides a sweeping panorama, from the interior of Guanabara Bay to the north, to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (Rodrigo de Freitas' Lagoon) to the south. Corcovado can be reached by car or by train (R$ 36 return), on a ride through Floresta da Tijuca (Tijuca Forest), an island of subtropical rainforest in the middle of one of the most populous cities of South America. Trains can get very busy. Consider a lunchtime or afternoon trip when there are less coach parties. If you take a taxi to the top the driver may expect extra if you will not be using his taxi to go back down. You can also visit the forest, and see its many waterfalls and hiking trails. Most of the paths are well-marked, but you can get maps and guides as well. There are many hiking trails in the city, leading to places like Corcovado, Sugar Loaf and others, all with different views of the city.Return tram R$36.

Guanabara Palace (Palácio Guanabara), Rua Pinheiro Machado - Laranjeiras. Former palace of the Imperial Princess, now the governor's office. Eclectic architecture. Not open to the public.

Gloria Church, Glória (Metrô Glória). Small but interesting church built in 1739. It is more correctly known as the Outeira da Gloria, outeira in Portuguese meaning “knoll” or small hill. The church was well sited to be seen by arriving sailors sailing into Guanabara Bay. The layout consists of two intertwined octagonal prisms. There are some interesting wooden engravings and tiles from Portugal. Best accessed by one of the world’s shortest funiculars from Rua do Russel. The ride is free. Nice views.

Glória Inlet (Enseada da Glória). A beautiful spot for a stroll along the bank of Guanabara Bay.

Largo do Boticário, Rua Cosme Velho (just up the hill from the Corcovado train station). A delightful square of well-preserved colonial style houses that date back to 1831.

Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açucar), Urca, [4]. One of the defining landmarks of the city. The cable cars take you up for R$ 44 to a breathtaking view of much of Zona Sul and the center, and also the city of Niteroi, just across Guanabara Bay. You can stop half way if the ride is too frightening. You can also walk up an unsigned trail to this point (ask for directions) and take the cable cars to the top for R$ 22. At the half way point, you can take a sightseeing helicopter trip, if you can afford it. The area is pretty secure, thanks to the various military institutions nearby.

Museums

Indian Museum, Rua das Palmeiras 55 - Botafogo. Tu-F 10AM-5:30PM, Sa-Su 1PM-5PM. Focusing on the history of Native Brazilians, with many artifacts including a recently acquired home of the Umé culture. The gift shop has authentic handicrafts.

Museu do Açude, Estrada do Açude, 764 - Alto da Boa Vista (in the center of the Floresta da Tijuca park). Th-Su 11AM-5PM. The former residence of one of the founders of the Modern Art Museum, this museum hosts a collection of items from the history of Portuguese rule, including furniture, kitchenware, and an array of azulejos, or Portuguese blue tiles. There are also separate collections of Oriental art and Brazilian pop art.

Museum of Naïve Art, Rua Cosme Velho, 561 - Cosme Velho (west of Laranjeiras). The largest museum of its type in the world, with over 8000 pieces, representative of over 130 countries, with many pieces for sale.

Museum of the Republic (Museu da República), Rua do Catete 153 - Catete (Metrô Catete), ☎21 285-6350, [7]. The former presidential palace (1893-1960), now hosts a museum of recent history and nice gardens, with an adjacent art gallery and small theatre that occasionally shows free movies. One of main features is the room where president Getúlio Vargas shot himself in 1954.

Museu Villa-Lobos, Rua Sorocaba, 200 - Botafogo, ☎21 2266-1024 (mvillalobos@museuvillalobos.org.br), [8]. M-F 10AM-5:30PM. Heitor Villa-Lobos wrote about 1000 pieces and is considered one of the world's greatest composers. This small collection includes a number of personal items, musical instruments, pictures and hand-written work by Villa-Lobos.Free.

Oi Futuro (formerly Centro Cultural Telemar), Rua 2 de Dezembro 63 - Catete, ☎21 3131-3060, [9]. Formerly a telephone museum, it now hosts a fine gallery with temporary exhibitions of digital art or art with interactive medias; it is sponsored by the local phone company.

Parks

The rock of Gavea in the Tijuca Forest, the largest seaside chunk of rock in the world.

Flamengo Park (Parque do Flamengo), along the bay between Flamengo and Glória. 1.2 million square metres with broad walkways, Flamengo Beach, various monuments, and over 10,000 trees. To its north is the Museum of Modern Art (see Centro).

Tijuca National Park (Parque Nacional (Floresta) da Tijuca), (access from São Conrado and Tijuca), [11]. Situated just a few km north of the beach this mountainous subtropical forest is Brazil's smallest national park. It is largely hand-planted as much of the original forest was destroyed to make way for coffee plantations. Despite this it contains hundres of species, many of which are threatened with extinction. Corcovado is to the east of the park but if you really want to appreciate what the park has to offer you have to drive along some windy, hilly roads. It can be reached from Zona Norte via Rua Boa Vista, and from Sao Conrado in Zona Oeste.

Do

Cláudio Coutinho Trail (Pista Cláudio Coutinho), Urca (from the entrance to the Pão de Açucar cable car). This pleasant walk circles Urca Hill (Morro da Urca), and side trails lead to various points on the hill, offering lush vegetation, monkeys, and nice views of the bay.

Planetarium, Rua Vice-Governador Rubens Berardo, 100 – Gávea (Buses 125, 157, 170, 410, 432 or 435), ☎21 2529-2146‎, [12]. There are shows, mainly for kids, in the planetarium itself on weekends. These are targeted at different age groups so it is essential to check the age the show you plan to attend is for or you may get stuck with one that is totally unsuitable. From Weds to Fridays the space is also open without shows and there are around 60 hands-on scientific experiments to entertain kids.

Parque Lage, Rua Jardim Botânico 414 - Jardim Botânico, [13]. A small park, once a private mansion, where now a school of fine arts works. Contains some interesting plants and wildlife as well as strange and entertaining concrete structures. The park is the beginning of a path up Corcovado, through sub-tropical rain forest.

Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas). You can run, walk, skate or cycle the 7.5km around this freshwater lake and then retire to your luxurious Ipanema penthouse apartment, or just imagine it! Some have been known to swim in it although pollution levels are very high. Around Lagoa you can rent cycles, swan-shaped pedalos and, on the western side near where the helicopters take off, electric cars for younger kids.

Panoramic helicopter rides, [15]. These are noisy and drive Rio's residents mad as the helicopters circle the statue of Christ, but if you can live with that and can afford it, a helicopter trip is likely to be the most memorable experience of your visit to Rio. You can catch a copter at the first stage of the cable car ride up the Sugar Loaf or, alternatively, on the west edge of Lagoa. The basic trip takes in Sugar Loaf, Corcovado and Zona Sul (R$230 per person, minimum three people); longer, and more expensive, trips will take you to places such as the Maracana football stadium (R$350 per person). Prices quoted are web site prices. They may be negotiable on the day but no chance if a cruise ship is in town.

Beaches

Ipanema Beach

Perhaps the best thing to do in Rio is nothing, while sitting on its glorious beaches. Of the two most famous, Copacabana and Ipanema, the former gets a bit more crowded (perhaps that will change now the Metro has been extended to Ipanema). Both have spectacular mountains to the side -- Sugar Loaf to the east of Copacabana, and Dois Irmãos ("The Two Brothers") to the west of Ipanema. Though famous, the water at South Zone beaches may not always be clean enough for swimming. Water quality goes down after heavy rain that washes pollution out to the sea-- it is advisable to ask your lifeguard.
Leblon and Ipanema are usually OK; Copacabana sometimes has problems, especially after very rainy days. The seas at Leblon and Ipanema are also somewhat rougher than at Copacabana. Even when they appear calm this can be deceptive. A common problem is when swimmers venture out beyond the breakers and then cannot get back. There are lifeguards at all of the ``postos´´ and surfers can be relied on to help out swimmers in trouble. There is also a rescue helicopter that pulls people out of the water in a net. But you don´t really want to suffer the embarassment of this happening to you so even if you are a strong swimmer, take care!

Along Copacabana and Ipanema-Leblon there are ´´postos´´ (lifeguard watchtowers with toilets and changing facilities). Posto 6 is unaccountably missing, although it is generally considered to be opposite Rua Francisco Sá when Cariocas arrange to meet on the beach. Although beaches are often considered a plural, democratic space, there are still some informal (and not too strict) "social area" divisions.

Beginning at Glória and winding outward toward the south and southwest, the beaches are:

On Guanabara Bay

Beaches on the bay are generally less popular, as they are relatively narrow and with smaller waves.

Ramos - a popular beach where the government built an artificial pool on the sand (piscinão). This area is not recommended for foreigners to visit.

Flamengo

Botafogo

Urca

Vermelha

Oceanic

Leme - East of Copacabana, and somewhat less crowded.

Copacabana - Among the most famous beaches in the world, Copacabana attracts many tourists, both foreign and national. In summer, there are occasional free evening concerts of big name acts which draw huge crowds.

Arpoador - Between Copacabana and Ipanema.

Ipanema - The main beach for the middle-class, and specifically the Posto 9 section (watchtower #9) is preferred by left-wingers, intellectuals, artists, journalists and similar beach-goers. You can easily walk into a politician or someone famous here. The area close to the Farme de Amoedo street in Ipanema is known to attract the gay crowd of the city, who show off openly their sexuality.

Leblon - West of Ipanema and similar, but less crowded.

São Conrado - On the other side of the Dois Irmãos mountain west of Leblon, this beach is popular with middle class people and favela dwellers alike. Good surfing and hang-gliding opportunities.

Buy

Brasil & Cia, Rua Maria Quitéria 27 - Ipanema, ☎21 2267-4603, [18]. An arts and crafts shop where the biggest concern is to keep the Brazilian identity in all that is sold, with many unique items. They also support artists who didn’t have any kind of art education and have difficulty selling their art.

Hippie Fair, Praça Osário - Ipanema. Every Sunday. Here you will find everything from soapstone Redentor statues to swizzle sticks carved with Amazonian birds. There are several vendors selling the same thing so you can have fun bargaining.

Hype Babalonia, Rua Jardim Botânico 971, Gávea (at the Jockey Club race trackn). Saturdays and Sundays 14:00-22:00. This market has some more upscale merchandise and you will find fewer tourists. It is a place where middle class Cariocas do some bargain shopping.

Modern Sound, Rua Barata Ribeiro 502 - Copacabana, [19]. One of Brazil's biggest music shops. Sometimes there's also live music in the café.

Pé de Bói, Rua Ipiranga 55 - Laranjeiras, ☎21 2285-4395, [20]. M-F 9AM-7PM, Sa 9AM-1PM. One of the best places to get authentic local handicrafts. A lovely store with many great gift ideas. There are two floors, the first full of items for sale, such as pieces made from wood, ceramic and fibre, fit to decorate any living room space. The second floor is where they sometimes have art exhibits, usually related to Brazilian history, culture or customs from various regions that are distinctly scattered throughout the country.

Livraria Letras & Expressões, Rua Visconde de Pirajá 276, ☎21 2521 6110, [22]. Good bookshop with a popular Cafe Ubaldo on the first floor that serves coffee and pastries. Small internet cafe.

Livraria da Travessa, Rua Visconde de Pirajá 572 - Ipanema, ☎21 3205 9002, [23]. Daily 12AM-12PM. Nice bookshop which allows you to choose a book to peruse while you sip coffee in the café. Small section of foreign-language books.

Filé de Ouro, Rua Jardim Botânico 731 - Jardim Botânico, ☎21 2259-2396. A good alternative to churrascarias, this steakhouse is simple and cozy. During the weekends there are usually big lines, but the steak is delicious. Try Filé à Oswaldo Aranha, with toasted garlic.

Drink

Bars

Academia da Cachaça, Rua Conde de Bernadotte 26 - Leblon, [40]. With over 500 varieties, this is the place to start your studies of Brazil's national drink.

Bip Bip, Rua Almirante Gonçalves 50D - Copacabana, ☎021 2267-9696. 7PM-1AM. This unpretentious and thoroughly un-touristy hole-in-the-wall botequim has been a favorite hang-out of top local musicians for decades and hosts regular live choro, samba, and bossanova performances.

Empório, Rua Maria Quitéria 37 - Ipanema. Popular with the younger crowd, that hangs out there to listen to DJs playing rock. Most of the crowd hangs out there because they are underage and can't get in the underground nightclubs. Gets packed with foreigners during summer.

Garota de Ipanema, Rua Vinicius de Moraes and Rua Prudente de Morais - Ipanema. There's no better place in Rio, Brazil, or even the world to watch bathing beauties stroll by than this cafe-bar, named after the song which according to legend was written here in 1962.

Saturnino Lounge & Bar, Rua Saturno de Brito, 50 (Jardim Botanico), ☎55 21 3874 0064, [41]. 6PM-2AM. Saturnino bar is perfect to go with friends or on a date, it’s very romantic for a candlelight dinner, and since it´s in an open area, you can see the moon. The ambient is very pleasant. There's a wide variety of different drinks and several options of appetizers that go from seafood to Japanese to burgers. They are open until late hours.

Shenanigans Irish Pub & Sports Bar, Rua Visconde de Pirajá 112A - Ipanema (on the Praça General Osório, Ipanema). Great any day but best on Wednesdays, this second-story Irish bar shows only a green awning at street level. Has imported beer(bottles and draught), American pool and a variety of sports on the big screen (NFL, NCAA, NHL, MLB, Football(soccer), Rugby and all local Brazilian sports.

Clubs

Clandestino, Rua Barata Ribeiro 111 - Copacabana, [42]. A European-style underground club: dark, dungeony and has a basement with a compact dance floor. What´s cool is that every Friday is Black Friday, which is when Brazilians and foreigners get down to hip-hop, Brazilian funk and other types of "black music". A great place to meet people. International beers and mixed drinks. They´ve got rock n´roll parties called Benflogin and also eletronic partiers like LBF and Partiers Angels.

Casa da Matriz, Rua Henrique Novaes 126 - Botafogo, [43]. An 18th century house turned into a two-floor nightclub. Because the walls of the original structure are all there, it is regarded as small. It has a weekly schedule that never changes. On Fridays there's a Brazilian music party (Brazooka) which is must-go in town. On Saturdays, there's rock on the first floor, with occasional appearances by local and even foreign bands (Paradiso). On Mondays has a very indie and prestigious rock party (Maldita), though never a really crowded one (except on Holidays).

Dama de Ferro, Rua Vinicius de Moraes 288 - Gávea, [44]. Electronic-only club, with two floors. Mostly has electro, minimal and house parties, with well-known DJs from Rio, Brazil and foreigners. A "must" with the electronic-loving community.

Fosfobox, Rua Siqueira Campos 143 - Copacabana, [45]. "Fosfo" as it's nicknamed by the goers has a strong Saturday rock-oriented party. Young, trendy crowd with djs playing mostly indie rock, discopunk and electro-rock. After 4AM it has a more electronic after-party. Different parties happen on Fridays, but it's usually electronic, with favorite genres being electro, house and minimal. Other nights are usually more electronic also, but has had Rock parties also on Thursdays. On Tuesdays there's a dub/reggaeton party.

Samba clubs

Cariocando, Rua Silveira Martins, 139 - Catete (100m from Metro Catete, away from the beach), ☎2557-3646. A fairly new establishment, offering a bit of Lapa in the Zona Sul. Live music (samba, choro, MPB) Tu-Su. They seem to have a knack for booking the lesser-known offspring and siblings of more famous musicians.R$12-15 cover.

Casa Rosa, Rua Alice 550 - Laranjeiras, [47]. F-Su. This place is quite special: back in the '60s, '70s and '80s it used to be a well known exclusive brothel, so that's why it is named Casa Rosa. The big pink eclectic style mansion was closed for several years and after a face-lift restoration now houses the officially known Centro Cultural Casa Rosa. Sundays are the best day to go there, especially because they do a great combination of serving the national dish of Brazil - Feijoada - with samba. There are always nice local musicians, and the atmosphere is laid back and friendly. Get there early since the music starts at 7PM and they stop serving the feijoada at around 9. Dress down.R$10 before 7PM, R$20 after 7PM; with feijoada, R$25.

Concert venues

Canecão, Av. Wenceslau Brás 215 - Leme (close to the tunnel that connects the Sugar Loaf to Copacabana), [48]. Apart from the really big names, who perform in Maracanã or on the beach, this is the main venue for Brazilian music and visiting stars.

Ananab Guesthouse Rio, Rua Alice 681 - Larajeiras, [54]. On a quiet street in a historical house built in 1917. Although it's location is in the middle of the city, you feel as if you are away from it all with views of the Statue of Christ the Reedemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Atlantic Forest.

Beija Flor, Rua Ferreira Viana, 20 - Flamengo (A block southeast of Metro Catete), ☎21 2285-2492. Typical budget hotel in Catete district. The rooms have no exterior windows and just open into the hallway, so take a look before deciding.

Che Legarto, Rua Anita Garibaldi 87 - Copacabana, ☎21 2556-2776, [60]. One of the most popular backpackers spots in Copacabana.Double/Dormbed cost R$90/R$32 per night for Hostelling International members and R$100/R$38 for non-members. Discounts for longterm stays or large groups..

Ferreira Viana, Rua Ferreira Viana, 58 - Flamengo (One block south of Metro Catete), ☎21 2205-7396. As long as you don't mind climbing three flights of stairs (no elevator), this is as good a value as any among the budget hotels in the area, with friendly service.

Hotel Inglês, Rua Silveira Martins, 20 - Flamengo (At the end of block towards the beach from Metro Catete), ☎2558-3052, [64]. Nice location next to the park, but a bit overpriced compared to similar accommodation in the area.

Stone of a Beach, Rua Barata Ribeiro 111 - Copacabana, ☎21 3209 0348, [70]. Big, airy rooms and great common areas, is staffed with very cool young people who know everything that is going on. They have amazing New Year's and Carnaval events, as well as their own cool bar next door where they have live music.

Mid-range

Astoria Copacabana Hotel, Rua Republica do Peru, 345 - Copacabana (Two blocks south of Metro Cardeal Arcoverde), ☎21 2545-9090, [73]. Good mid-range hotel. Not to be confused with the more upscale Astoria Palace (below), operated by the same owners.

Astoria Palace Hotel, Atlantica Avenue, 1886 - Copacabana, ☎21 2545-9550, [74]. One of the newest hotels in Rio. Fantastic rooftop pool with a great view of the beach.

Hotel Portinari, Rua Francisco Sá 17 - Copacabana, ☎21 3222-8800 (reservas@hotelportinari.com.br). This calls itself a Design Hotel. Each floor has a different style but that is really all the difference to a normal hotel. Top floor restaurant for breakfast and a good view of local favelas.R$250-350.

Splurge

Copacabana Palace Hotel, Avenida Atlântica 1702 - Copacabana, ☎21 2548 7070 (reservas@copacabanapalace.com.br, fax: 21 2235 7330), [78]. Arguably the best hotel in town, dating back to 1923. It's had its share of famous guests over the years.

Contact

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!